CHEERS to Robert Shearer, former CEO of Shearer’s Foods, for continuing to display his commitment to the City of Massillon by returning a $100,000 grant the city awarded him as an inducement to locate his corporate headquarters at Grande Mill Centre downtown. The money will be used for undisclosed future economic development in the city but it would have been easy enough for Shearer to feather his own bed with the check instead of saying “Thanks, but no thanks.”

JEERS to those who would dismiss former Alliance Police Chief Larry Dordea as a potential replacement for Michael A. McDonald as Stark County sheriff. Dordea, a Republican, finished behind McDonald in the November General Election by fewer than 7,000 votes out of more than 171,000 votes cast. Party affiliation aside, if the Stark County Democratic Party Central Committee — which will choose the next sheriff — wants to reclaim a little credibility as something more than a rubber stamp for its leaders, they will at least give due consideration to Dordea.

CHEERS to Affinity Medical Center for joining with Aultman Hospital, Mercy Medical Center and Alliance Community Hospital in instituting visitor restrictions in the face of a worse than normal flu outbreak in Stark County. Proactive measures such as these may be an inconvenience for some but are clearly called for when the flu bug is biting as many victims as it has so far this flu season. There’s no reason to wait for a major outbreak before taking precautions such as this one.

JEERS to Rep. Jim Renacci and Rep. Bob Gibbs for voting against Senate-passed legislation that extended the Bush-era tax cuts for all except those earning $450,000 a year or more. What happened to representing the wishes of one’s constituency? What happened to reading poll numbers which show an overwhelming number of Americans favor a heavier tax burden for those in the upper income bracket? What happened to bipartisanship? Finally, what legislation have either Renacci or Gibbs formally introduced in Congress as an alternative to what would have been a significant tax increase for 99 percent of Americans?

CHEERS to Dave Liebig, a Massillon construction worker, Eric Chapman of Aqua Ohio, and Rick Hamit, a backhoe operator, for braving the coldest temperatures of the winter so far to get their work done Thursday. In an era when many in our society need little more than a headache or a hangnail to take a sick day, Liebig, Chapman and Hamit were among those featured on a front-page story in Friday’s Inde as they labored outside in

15-degree temperatures without complaint. It is the work ethic of people such as this that made America what it is today.